Iceland launches biodegradable CHEWING GUM that WON'T stick to pavements after being thrown away

  • Iceland launches Simply Gum made from natural ingredients for £2 for 15 tablets
  • It is entirely biodegradable which means it won't stick to paving slabs forever
  • Local councils are thought to spend £60 million a year removing gum from slabs 
  • Most commercial brands use synthetic rubber in chewing gum to make it chewy
  • Simply Gum uses tree sap called chicle as a base instead 

Biodegradable chewing gum that doesn't contain any plastic has launched at Iceland in a supermarket first - and it could save the nation's pavements.

The natural chewing gum called Simply Gum, which costs £2 for a pack of 15, contains tree sap instead of synthetic rubber which most commercial brands contain to make the breath freshener chewy. 

That means it will break down and biodegrade unlike other chewing gums which remain stuck to surfaces and most commonly pavement slabs forever.

Local councils are believed to spend about £60 million a year removing gum from pavements across the country.  

Simply Gum - which is completely biodegradable as it doesn't contain any plastic unlike most commercial brands - comes in three flavours: mint (left), maple (centre) and ginger (right). Its base is made from tree sap which makes it chewy

Simply Gum - which is completely biodegradable as it doesn't contain any plastic unlike most commercial brands - comes in three flavours: mint (left), maple (centre) and ginger (right). Its base is made from tree sap which makes it chewy

More than 100,000 tons of chewing gum is consumed every year and an estimated 95 per cent of Britain's streets are stained with the sticky substance.

However the new natural gum - which comes in mint, maple and ginger flavours - is completely biodegradable, making it better for the environment.

It is made from a tree sap called chicle which is extracted from the sapodilla tree, native to Central America.

The decision to stock the product forms part of the supermarket's pledge to go 'plastic-free' on its own label products - something the chain aims to fulfil by the end of 2023.

The chewing gum tablets are brown in colour as they are made from natural ingredients and are not synthetically whitened (pictured, ginger flavour)
They are completely biodegradable which means they will break down and not stay on surfaces forever due to the lack of plastic (pictured, mint flavour)

The chewing gum tablets (pictured in ginger flavour, left, and in mint flavour, right) are brown in colour as they are made from natural ingredients and are not synthetically whitened. They are completely biodegradable which means they will break down and not stay on surfaces forever due to the lack of plastic

Off the back of the announcement, Iceland commissioned research of 2,000 UK adults which found that 85 per cent of people were not aware it usually contains plastic.

Sir Malcolm Walker, Iceland founder and executive chairman, said: 'I absolutely detest the mess that discarded plastic chewing gum creates on our streets, and the fortune that is wasted by councils trying to clear it up.

'For decades, regular gum makers have hidden their synthetic ingredients behind the catch-all term of 'gum base' which is consistently used as an ingredient on pack.

'Simply Gum uses the original, natural gum base of chicle and is fully biodegradable. We are delighted to make it available to UK consumers in our stores so that they can have a real choice about what they are consuming and the impact they make on the environment.'

Around 60 per cent of the UK use chewing gum and of those who do, around two thirds would prefer a gum which isn't made from synthetic ingredients.

Sir Malcolm Walker, Iceland's founder and executive chairman, pictured with Simply Gum chewing gum's three flavours as the supermarket has become the first to launch plastic-free gum

Sir Malcolm Walker, Iceland's founder and executive chairman, pictured with Simply Gum chewing gum's three flavours as the supermarket has become the first to launch plastic-free gum

And more than three quarters of gum buyers said they will think twice about buying regular chewing gum again in the future. 

Food psychologist, Dr Christy Fergusson, who is working in partnership with Iceland, said: 'Over the past several years, as consumers we have become more conscious when it comes to the products we buy and the impact that our diet and lifestyle choices have on the environment.

'As a result, we want to know what we are purchasing, so we can make more informed decisions. With the introduction of Simply Gum, Iceland is taking another step forwards to that goal.' 

Simply Gum creator, Caron Proschan, added: 'I created Simply Gum because I recognised a need for a natural gum that was made with high quality, sustainable ingredients.

'We chose Iceland as our UK launch partner because of this shared commitment to quality and sustainability.

'Iceland continues to lead the way in terms of enabling consumers to make informed and responsible choices. 

Simply Gum is now available in Iceland stores across the country and online.

IS PLASTIC TOXIC TO OUR HEALTH? 

Fears that toxins in plastics might be harmful to human health first emerged about 20 years ago. The spotlight was on one synthetic plastic chemical, BPA (or bisphenol A) which was commonly used in many plastics.

Small studies found BPA could disrupt hormonal processes, mimicking oestrogen and leading to health problems ranging from obesity to cancer.

Countries such as Canada banned BPA in plastic baby bottles in 2008, and many other countries followed suit. But in the UK BPA is still widely used in food and drinks packaging, microwave ovenware, storage containers, water and milk bottles, as well as plastic tableware and cutlery. It is also used to make the resins that often line cans of food.

Although BPA is classified as an endocrine disruptor, which means it can interfere with the hormone systems of mammals, regulatory authorities around the world, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), maintain our low exposure to the chemical is not harmful.

It’s not just the BPA that concerns anti-plastic campaigners like Jay and Chantal. They maintain that heat and wear and tear can cause plastic toxins to leach into food. ‘We now know that most plastics contain a multitude of chemical additives to facilitate the manufacturing process or produce a particular desirable property, such as flexibility, toughness, colour or resistance to UV light,’ explains Jay.

‘These additives can be dyes, fragrances, plasticisers, fillers, hardeners, stabilisers, lubricants, fire retardants, and even fungicides and antibacterial agents. Problems arise because these additives may leach from the plastic and cause harm under certain circumstances.’

Only time, and further research, will tell if Jay is right, but reducing your reliance on plastic is certainly a great way to reduce any possible health impact.

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